Occupation of La Paz

The Occupation of La Paz (4 December 1891-23 April 1892) was a war fought between an alliance of Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay against the reactionary Bolivian State and Ecuador. The Chileans decided to take advantage of Bolivia's concurrent war with Brazil by seizing additional lands along the border, expecially the La Paz region, which drove a wedge into Chilean territory in the north. The 30,000-strong Chilean army, commanded by Patricio Arteaga, wiped out Francisco Freire's 3,000-strong Bolivian army at La Paz on 21 December 1891 with a mere 26 losses, and he proceeded to defeat dictator Juan Antonio Siles' 5,901-strong Bolivian army at Oruro on 18 February 1892 with just 451 losses. The Chileans quickly occupied the border areas, and a contingent of Uruguayan troops began to occupy the southeast. On 23 April 1892, Bolivia was forced to accept Chile's peace terms, ceding La Paz to Chile.